Monday, March 26, 2007

1. There are two kinds of publicity: 1) Getting featured on TV, print and radio as a GUEST, 2) Getting featured on TV, print and radio as an EXPERT. Do both. Especially the latter.

2. State your fee confidently and shut up. Seriously. I actually put my hand over my mouth until the prospect responds. Sometimes 10 seconds later. You have to be sure of yourself and your fee. Don’t defend it. Don’t negotiate it. Just say, “That will be $50,000.” Then be quiet. You deserve it.

3. Two words: Mastermind Group. Get in one now. Keep it small, meet monthly. Top five best things I’ve ever done for my career.

4. Oh yeah, speaking of fees. There are advantages and disadvantages of posting your fee on your website. I say go for it. It shows transparency and honesty. Plus, it qualifies your leads, cuts out the no-money prospects and doesn’t waste yours or their time.

5. DON’T EVER APOLOGIZE FOR WHO YOU ARE.

6. People who get noticed get ahead. People who get remembered get business.

7. God help your soul if you ever, ever, ever use some version of the horribly overused “Got milk?” tagline as part of your marketing. Absolutely terrible. You’d be amazed how many speeches, programs and taglines are STILL called “Got Leadership?” “Got Marketing?” “Got Publicity?” and the like. Unbelievable. It’s the absolute antithesis to creativity and uniqueness. This isn’t 1995. If you’re going to rip off “Got milk?” in your marketing, you may as well use “Show me the money!” while you’re at it.

8. TIGER WOODS TAKES GOLF LESSONS. Just think about that for a minute.

10. If someone ever comes up to you and says, “Man! I see your name everywhere!” congrats.

11. If you’re the only one who does what you do, there IS no competition.

12. “You participate in your online image but you don’t control it,” said the former VP of Monster.com. He also said, “The internet is forever.” Careful what you post.

13. Just because you know how to use a hammer doesn’t mean you can build a house. LESSON LEARNED: hire a professional designer to do your marketing materials.

14. 90% of new restaurants fail within their first year because some guy out there once said, “You know, I like to cook. And people enjoy my food. Maybe I should start a restaurant!” LESSON LEARNED: just because you know the trade, doesn’t mean you can run the business.

15. If they don’t like you as a person, they won’t hire you.

16. Have you Googled yourself this week?

17. LET GO OF trying to please everybody who comes to your website. If they’re not perfect customers, who cares if they don’t love your graphics? Don’t lust for pleasing everyone who logs on. Take it from someone who struggled with this for years: let it go and focus your efforts on pleasing the people who PAY.

18. When it comes to media, the key word is: leverage. Slap a sticker on the cover of your product/website that says, “Seen on CNN.” That’s leverage. Record the TV interview and make it available to watch as a clip on the media page of your website, YouTube and your blog. That’s leverage.

19. “Dress to impress” is bullshit. I say, dress to make other people feel comfortable when engaging with you.

20. It’s a heck of a lot easier to make a book a bestseller than it used to be. (Especially on Amazon.) In fact, I think it’s almost a joke when you see the words “bestseller,” because a lot of authors know how to manipulate the system. In fact, I just bought a “bestselling” book the other day and it was so terrible I couldn’t even finish it. LESSON LEARNED: best selling doesn’t necessarily mean best reading.

28. You need to build a following. Even if you’re not running for office, recording an album or writing a best seller. Every ONE and every COMPANY needs to build a following.

29. There is nothing more convincing than a working example.

30. Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt; it breeds business.

31. People aren’t loyal to companies, they’re loyal to people.

32. Deliver small promises first.

33. If people buy people first; and if people do business with their friends; and if the only reason people will buy from you is if they’ve heard you, heard OF you, or if someone they trust has heard of you; doesn’t it just make sense to, like, make friends with everybody?

33. Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt; it breeds business.

LET ME ASK YA THIS...Ever wanted to post a bunch of random stuff for no reason?